December 19, 2025

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 12/19

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

iF you WANT a heartwarming Christmas film

white christmas

Vincent Georgie: Happy, lush, beautiful. A perfect mood setter, whether you watch it as you are wrapping presents, with family and drinks, and everything in between. The film harkens back to a truly cinematic and enveloping sense of Christmas.

Synopsis: Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, two army buddies, become a top-notch musical comedy team after the war and are now the toast of Broadway. While on the road in Florida, the stars become involved with two aspiring singers, the sister act of Betty and Judy. Despite some romantic complications between the couples, everything ends on a happy note when Christmas Eve brings rave reviews for the show and much-needed snowfall!

Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

if you WANT a christmas love story

love actually

Vincent Georgie: Working with an excellent, funny and touching script, this film brings together a terrific cast of favourites and earns all of the smiles and tears of its audience. If you want something loving, hopeful, and humane, you can do no better than this beloved modern classic starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin First and Kiera Knightley, among others.

Synopsis: Nine intertwined journeys examine the complexities of the one emotion that connects all individuals, love. Among these individuals is David, the handsome, newly elected British prime minister who falls for a junior staffer. Sarah is a graphic designer whose devotion to her mentally ill brother complicates her love life. Harry, a married man, is tempted by his attractive new secretary.

Available on Disney+, Crave, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV.

if you WANT An action-packed christmas

die hard

Vincent Georgie: Yes, this is a Christmas film. Please proceed.

Synopsis: New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there’s no one to save the hostages — but him.

Available on Disney+, Apple TV, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

DOUBLE FEATURE

joyous christmas comedies

Vincent Georgie: Both of these are beloved Christmas modern classics for a reason. Both are very funny, amusing and have high rewatchability factors. Enjoy with those you love, or on your own with some hot chocolate.

the santa clause

Divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen) has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa’s place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he’s dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Maybe that night at the North Pole wasn’t a dream after all — and maybe Scott has a lot of work to do.

Available on Apple TV, Disney+, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

elf

Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.